Friends mourn road-rage victim

South Side man put a smile on your face, ex-neighbor says

Friends and neighbors of a Chicago man who was shot and killed in what police called an incident of road rage expressed shock and sadness Thursday, a day after his death.

Larry Watkins, 20, of the 1800 block of West 58th Street was driving along East Garfield Boulevard when he and another driver got into a traffic-related quarrel about 9 p.m. that ended with Watkins' being shot, police said. He was pronounced dead at 9:55 p.m. at Northwestern Hospital from a gunshot wound in the head, according to the Cook County medical examiner's office.

Police late Thursday would not say whether anyone was in custody for the shooting. Police said the assailant fled the scene after the shooting, and they described the car as a late-model, maroon Pontiac Grand Prix.

Jamahl Smylie, a neighbor of Watkins', said he was driving Wednesday night and noticed Watkins' black Monte Carlo behind a cordon of police tape on the 100 block of East Garfield Boulevard. Smylie said the car had smashed into several other cars.

"He was a real cool guy, he never had any problems with anyone around here, and that's odd in this neighborhood," Smylie said, as he and others gathered on the corner across from Watkins' building. "He wasn't in the middle of any of the violence around here."

According to his landlord, Frank White, Watkins moved into the four-unit building this summer, and he was living with his girlfriend in their five-room apartment. Neighbors said Watkins lived with an infant and a young child as well.

Watkins' family and girlfriend could not be reached for comment.

"He was respectful, and I never had a problem out of him," said building manager Charles Spearman. "He always called me Mr. Charles."

Former neighbors on the 7500 block of South Yale Avenue stood in the well-trimmed courtyard of the building where Watkins had lived previously and recalled his sense of humor. They said Watkins came back to visit every now and again.

"He used to stand out here and just talk and laugh with the people that walked by," said 17-year-old Takiela Bell. "He was a really good guy."

Siobahn Miller, 18, said she had known Watkins for a few years.

"If you came outside with a frown on your face, you went back in with a smile on your face," she said. "He kept us laughing."